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This is what I get when I record, a barely audible tiny waveform. The ACX check consistently states the RMS level is too low. How do I adjust this so I don't have to select all and try to use equalizer to find an acceptable level (after which I have to adjust both peak levels and noise floor levels, again, and again). I can change the size to an editable visual level by changing to waveform (dB), and by "normalizing" the recording, but then my eardrums get blown away by the incredible increase in volume. I am beginning to suspect it is my Focusrite (Scarlett Studios). Could that be?

What setting are you making on the front panel of the Focusrite? It appears that the interface has a microphone gain knob. Where do you have that set?

What microphone are you using? How far is the microphone from your mouth? How loud are you speaking? All these will affect the recording level in Audacity. The Focusrite interface digitizes the audio and sends it over USB to the computer, so any problems with audio levels being too low can be corrected only by changing the setting on the Focusrite or by changing your technique.

Yes, you will want to use the Amplify or Normalize effect to bring the recorded levels up to "normal". And, yes, that will make playback louder in your headphones, so turn the playback volume down to compensate.

Your biggest issues are likely to be a) room noise (speaking too quietly or too far from the microphone) and b) microphone pre-amp hiss (again, from speaking too quietly or too far from the microphone).

It goes for pages, but it's basically only three corrections: Rumble filter, Loudness (RMS) setting and overload prevention (Limiter).

If your voice is even close, that should get you past ACX-Check, and even if you miss noise (most home productions miss noise), that may be helped by Noise Reduction.

You have to download and install RMS Normalize. I think you already have everything else assuming you're using Audacity 2.2.1.

As for recording, I'd be surprised if you didn't have to run the volume controls all the way up, and possibly get closer to the microphone. Most home devices have "gentle volume."

You don't have to guess at your recording volume. Look at the bouncing sound meter and the blue waves while you make a test recording. While you're recording the meter should bounce between -10dB and -6dB. The blue waves should poke up about half-way or a bit less.

In general you should be about a Hawaiian Shaka away from the microphone.

If you have a blast filter, about a power fist.

You are the recording engineer so you get to worry about all this stuff. They don't tell you that when you're buying the microphone.

Focusrite gain set at 12:00, Monitor at 12:15. I was doing the shaka distance from the mic, but SuchAVoice pro Ben Marney said, "no, 4 inches". Too close even for the pop filter so I have compromised at 5 inches, and still have to do a "high level pass" on too many "'p'"s.

I speak softly, but not that softly, which is why I think it might be the Focusrite. I just finished my pro demos with a professional engineer and my levels were no problem.

Several times I have had to shut down, and even remove and reinstall Audacity to get it to connect with the Focusright, or Quit audacity, unplug the equipment, plug it back in, jiggle the usb connection and then turn audacity back on to get sound and recording. Already replaced the microphone cable. the Mic is a Scarlett studio, part of the studio package. CM25 MKII. But I also tried it with my sennheiser shotgun, with no difference in levels.

Switched to (based on someone's suggestion from here) recording in stereo and then switching to mono, it only made a modicum of difference and the RMS levels were, always have been too low.

Thanks for the tip on RMS Normalize, one pass and it passed those levels, rather than guess with equalizer. If I KNEW anything about what I am having to do, I would be dangerous.

I just finished my pro demos with a professional engineer and my levels were no problem.

What does that mean? Use more words. We have to visualize what you're doing from multiple time zones away. You had an engineer come into the house? I used to do that. Engineer for hire. I still have my travel cases.

So you have one of these?

Screen Shot 2018-02-12 at 19.12.02.png (146.2 KiB) Viewed 97 times

Baby steps. Disconnect the headphones. Close Audacity.

The Scarlett 2i2 USB light should be on and I believe your microphone takes 48 Volts so that light should be on, too.

Speak into the microphone and watch the knob lighting. It turns green at the quietest of the vocal range...

Screen Shot 2018-02-12 at 19.41.28.png (18.55 KiB) Viewed 97 times

... and lit turns red when you're too loud.

Turn the right-hand microphone all the way down. I assume you're not using it. If that knob is up, it just makes noise.

Can you force the left-hand microphone knob to turn red? That's not metaphorical, I need an actual answer to this.

Crank the microphone volume up and keep speaking louder and louder (Never blow into a microphone) until that knob flashes red. Between the knob flashing green and flashing red is the normal volume for the microphone. I would not be shocked if the knob only works right all the way up, and maybe not even then.

That's the flashing light version of the engineering mixer sound meters. Nobody goes anywhere until we can get good volume at the mixer, or the 2i2 interface in your case.

Once you get that, turn the headphone control all the way down and plug the headphones back in.

Turn the large Monitor knob all the way up.

Speak normally so the microphone knob turns a good solid green. No fair one flash every couple of seconds. Turn on Direct Monitor, and turn the headphone volume up until you can hear yourself.

I expect you didn't get that far, so where are you missing steps? Did you have to scream into the microphone? Any sound you can make with your voice including screaming is valid as long as you don't blow. You can destroy a microphone by blowing into it.

You set your headphone volume after you get everything else working. It's possible under stressful conditions to make a good sound recording without hearing a thing, just using lights and meters. I had to do that once. It's not fun, but it works.

She's also showing proper microphone orientation. You sing/speak more or less into the company name. The microphone is directional and you have to get this part right.

I will try to answer in logical order.This is my equipment. As you can see the gain is set to a little after 12, because at 12 it drops below green. To get recording levels up, I need to adjust the gain to quarter after 12. But then the playback monitoring has it peaking.The last pic is the distance from the mic I use when recording.

focusrite 3.jpeg (19.42 KiB) Viewed 77 times

. (I have moved the pop filter out of the way to feature the mic make.)

Focucrite.jpeg (49.99 KiB) Viewed 77 times

mic distance copy.jpg (24.35 KiB) Viewed 77 times

To use Audacity, I have to unplug the Focusrite from the computer, re-attach it, then turn the Focusrite on, and then turn on Audacity, but more often than not I get this error when I try to start to record,

When this happens I have to unplug the connection to the computer from the Focusrite unit, plug it in again and jiggle it until I hear a little static in the earphones, then shut down Audacity, restart, and reset the preferences. This is a pain, to be blunt.

"Pro demos", went to an engineer's studio, recorded several commercial spots and narrations, and they are now in mastering.

The editing tools I have been advised to use, singularly (by Such A Voice engineer), are Normalize (now RMS Normalize, thank you), Limiter, and Noise Reduction. That being said, I also use High Pass filter for pops, and equalizer for clips I have re-recorded and need to drop in but need to match the new clip's volume to the original recording volumes. I will also get the Rumble plugin (thank you again).

The advice you all have provided have helped me immensely, I think, however, my Focusrite unit is faulty.

Is that a Scarlett Solo? That is recommended for single microphone use, but the pre-baked package I saw had a 2i2. Pictures are good.

From the Focusrite instructions, the knob turns green at the lowest normal voice volume and red at the highest. Can you make the knob turn red? Ignore the computer for a second.

But then the playback monitoring has it peaking.

What does that mean? You should not be judging the performance just by the headphones. If you have blue soundwaves at the half-way mark (0.5) and the bouncing sound meters go up to about -6dB, then you have perfect levels.

If your Focusrite drops out on occasion, it could be the computer connection. Does your machine have more than one USB connection? Also, can you change the cable? It's most unusual for a system like this to just flat stop working for no apparent reason. Setting it up the first time is where the most troubles happen.

You don't have to restart Audacity. Transport > Rescan will make Audacity go looking for connections. Yes, Audacity famously will "lose" a connection if the connection breaks for any reason. A loose USB cable or degraded socket will cause all kinds of troubles.

Your microphone, blast filter and microphone spacing from the last illustration seem to be perfect. If you get much closer than that you may get P pumping and other vocal distortion. The pop and blast filter should make no difference to the volume. Put the filter about a power fist from the microphone and you about a power fist from the screen.

It's good you have studio experience. Your goal is to replicate the studio experience, not read audiobooks from a cold start.

Reading in post production—later—for a patch or correction is extraordinarily difficult. If you know you made a fluff during recording, pause right then and make the correction so you maintain your emphasis, pitch and rhythm. One of the posters did something unique like clap or snap filters so the correction is easy to find later when you're staring at a sea of blue waves.